Massive Bison Uses Boardwalk Full of Tourists as Chin Scratcher

Photos shared on social media showed a bison that appeared to rest its head on a boardwalk packed with park guests in Yellowstone National Park.

Posted to Facebook by Ken Carleton, one picture showed the bison resting its head on the edge of the boardwalk while another showed the gigantic animal rubbing its face on the floor.

Many other parkgoers who were captured in the pictures stood by and got a close look at the gigantic bison—something that the park is advising against.

According to the National Park Service (NPS), guests are urged to stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves and at least 25 yards away from other animals, including bison.

"Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal," the agency reported. "Bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans."

The photos were shared just on the heels of an incident that involved a woman who was gored by a bison after getting within 10 feet of it.

"As the bison walked near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin, the female, on the boardwalk, approached it," a release issued by the NPS stated. "Consequently, the bison gored the woman and tossed her 10 feet into the air."

Linda Veress, a spokesperson for Yellowstone National Park, told Cowboy State Daily that the people in the photograph, including Carleton, were too close to the bison. She said if there are animals on or near a boardwalk, people are advised to move away to maintain distance from the wildlife.

"On a boardwalk, they should go back the way they came and wait for the animal to leave," Veress said. "All of the people in the Facebook photo[s] were much too close and this was an unsafe situation."

Speaking to FTW Outdoors, Carleton said the bison was grazing about 50 feet from the boardwalk before it walked toward the boardwalk.

The outlet reported that while some tourists continued to walk ahead, others stayed behind. However, those who stopped soon realized that a second bison was close by and they were unable to go in either direction.

Eventually, the bison moved on and the people on the boardwalk were able to continue on their way.

Newsweek reached out to Yellowstone National Park and Ken Carleton for further comment.

This is not the only wildlife spotting in a national park.

A video showed the moment that a grizzly bear stole another bear's elk, while another clip captured the elusive wolverine walking across a road.

One man filmed his close interaction with a bison at Yellowstone National Park, though he urged other park visitors to keep their distance.